Toyota RAV4 vs Honda CR-V: Which One Is Better?

In the prevalent small SUV category, the Toyota RAV4 vs Honda CR-V are two of the sales leaders many years. Do you really know the difference between RAV4 vs CR-V? If not then let’s talk about it. This article is going to present detailed review, specification and comparison between Toyota RAV4 vs Honda CR-V.

Toyota RAV4 Vs Honda CR-V: Which One Is Better?

Passenger Space

The difference in term of passenger space between the Toyota RAV4 Vs Honda Cr_v is that the CR-V has 0.3 inches less rear headroom and 0.8 inches less rear shoulder room than the other.

Engine

The Rav4’s 2.5 DOHC 4 cyl. generates 19 more horsepower (203 vs. 184) and 4 lbs.-ft. more torque (184 vs. 180) than the CR-V LX’s standard 2.4 DOHC 4 cyl. The Rav4’s 2.5 DOHC 4 cyl. generates 13 more horsepower (203 vs. 190) and 5 lbs.-ft. more torque (184 vs. 179) than the CR-V EX/EX-L/Touring’s standard 1.5 turbo 4 cyl.

Brakes And Stopping

In general, the CR-V’s brake rotors are smaller than those on the RAV4.

Fuel Economy And Range

On the EPA test cycle, the CR-V doesn’t get as good fuel mileage as the RAV4.

Suspension And Handling

The RAV4 is reviewed to have a smoother ride and more stable handling than the Honda CR-V, with its wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer than the CR-V’s (105.9 inches vs 104.7 inches).

For better maneuverability, the RAV4 LE/XLE’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the CR-V’s, 36.1 feet for the former and 37.4 feet for the latter.

In term of greater off-road capability, the RAV4 LE/XLE has a greater minimum ground clearance than the CR-V (8.4 vs. 8.2 inches) which allows the RAV4 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The CR-V’s minimum ground clearance is 0.4 lower than The RAV4 XLE Premium/Adventure/Limited (8.2 and 8.6 inches).

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Towing

While the RAV4 Adventure offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity, maximum trailer towing in the Honda CR-V is limited to 1500 pounds.

Safety

Optional Rear Cross-Traffic Braking provided in the RAV4 (except LE) which use rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. Meanwhile, the CR-V doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes. Besides, the CR-v only offers a rear monitor while the Toyota RAV4 Limited offers an optional Bird’s Eye View Camera allowing the driver to see objects all around the car on a screen.

In addition, Toyota RAV4 vs Honda CR-V have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, side-impact head airbags, front side-impact airbags front wheel drive, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, height adjustable front shoulder belts, daytime running lights, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

Warranty

In fact, Honda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the CR-V. At the same time, RAV4 is paid for scheduled maintenance by Toyota for 2 years and 25,000 miles. Besides, this manufacturer also pay for oil changes, lubrication and other required maintenances. Moreover, Toyota dealers are more 18 percent than Honda dealers, which make it easier for you to have your car maintained.

Reliability

According to the survey from J.D. Power and Associates’ 2018 Initial Quality Study of new car owners, Toyota cars are better in initial quality than Honda cars. Toyota was ranked 17th in initial quality while Honda ranked 23th with 6 more problems per 100 vehicles.  Also, J.D. Power ranked Toyota eighth place in reliability that is above the industry average and ranked Honda 12th.

Consumer Reports’ December 2018 Auto Issue reports from its surveys of all its subscribers that Honda vehicles are less reliable than Toyota vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in reliability and Honda is ranked lower than Toyota 13 times.

Ergonomics

The RAV4’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches.. The CR-V’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. With the CR-V EX/EX-L/Touring’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

The Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V offer available heated front seats. The RAV4 Limited also provides optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter which aren’t available in the CR-V.

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While the 2019 CR-V doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats, the 2019 RAV4 Adventure/Limited has optional air-conditioned seats to keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in summer.

On the contrary, the RAV4 XLE AWD/XLE Premium/Adventure/Limited’s optional heated steering wheel allows the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up on extremely cold winter days,. The CR-V doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Conclusion

To sum up, both of these “Small Sport Utility Vehicles” are about the same and offer value, space and fuel economy. For the Toyota RAV4 vs Honda CR-V, you can drive a safe, stylish and practical vehicle with a great reputation for quality. You can get either one with front wheel drive or all wheel drive, though the many safety and performance benefits of all wheel drive are well worth the small price premium. By reading our review, we hope that you can define which is better RAV4 or CR-V and which one will fit you more.